Raise Your Glass
by rhosinthorn
Summary: It's been a year since Fairy Tail was disbanded, but the long wait is over. A tale of homecomings, both happy and sad. Old friends reunite and new friends are made. In the Strength of Spirit universe, selected homecomings told through interconnected one shots.
1. Chapter 1

**The First Ones Home:**

Freed was asleep when he felt the shock. It travelled up his hand, startling him awake. Chest heaving, he turned on the light in the hotel room, knowing that he was either imagining things or something big was about to happen. As the light fell on his hand, the rune mage's eyes widened in shock. There, where it had been for so many years until this last one, was his Fairy Tail stamp.

"Bickslow!" he shouted, causing his best friend to almost fall out of bed as he was startled awake. "Get up, now."

"What's going on?" Bickslow asked, his babies hovering over his head. "Was that a shock I felt?"

"Go look in the mirror," Freed said, reaching for his clothes. "That should explain it."

The shock in the Seith mage's eyes was enough. "It's back?" he whispered, reaching for his own clothes. "And that was Laxus?"

"I would assume so," Freed said, doing the buttons on his shirt faster than he ever knew he could. "We need to get back to Magnolia as quickly as possible."

"We just got off a mission," Bickslow commented, fixing his visor in place. "And this late at night, I don't know how many trains will be running."

"We'll figure it out," Freed murmured, shrugging into his coat and buckling his saber around his waist. "Laxus has called for us. We should respond."

A knock on the door drew both their attention. Opening it, Freed saw Evergreen, her usually perfect hair a mess and a bathrobe clenched around her body. "Is it really?" she breathed, eyes wide with shock.

With a nod, Freed said: "We leave as soon as everyone's ready. Meet us in the lobby."

The Fairy mage rushed back to her room, and Freed turned to Bickslow. "Go to the train station and get three tickets. I don't care if we can't get directly to Magnolia, but get us as close as possible."

* * *

They had travelled through the night, and Freed was exhausted by the time they reached the city. Rushing through the streets, they saw very few people, likely since it was just after dawn. But Freed didn't care about how tired he was, or what anyone watching would say. For a year, he had waited for the summons, waited for some _sign_. Laxus had disappeared without saying a word, and it had been absolutely awful.

And then there was the message. Carved into the wood of their dining room table with lightning. Freed was going to lecture the dragon slayer about that another time, but the fact that the man thought to leave a message was more than enough.

 _The guild will be reformed. Wait for my summons_.

Here it was. The summons. Long ago, when the Rajinshu first formed, Laxus had asked Freed to mark a tiny rune on each of them, hidden by their Fairy Tail marks. Whenever he needed them, he sent a small amount of lightning through his rune, and the others felt the same shock. Laxus was summoning them, and things were about to happen.

Bickslow stopped suddenly, and Freed crashed into him, smashing his nose painfully against his best friend's spine. "What is it?" he grunted, stepping backward.

"The guild," the Seith mage said in amazement. "It's back."

"What do you mean, _back_?" Evergreen snapped, out of breath from running. "Are we the last ones to return?"

"No, _look_." Bickslow said, and Freed edged around him so that he could see for himself.

It was as Bickslow said, the guild was back. Restored to its former glory after the rubble they had last seen it. Something like this…it would have taken six months to do without the Fairy Tail members around to help. Yet they had just been in Magnolia a month before, paying their bills for the rest of the year and finding Laxus's message. Something had happened, and it had happened fast.

Freed took off running again. He had to find out what was happening. Reaching the guild doors, he threw them open and stopped short, Evergreen and Bickslow running into him and sending all three of them toppling to the floor.

Laxus was perched on a barstool, and Lucy was behind the bar, both of them chatting quietly. Otherwise, the building was completely empty.

"How?" Freed whispered, having expected everyone else to be back. "What's going on?"

With a word to Lucy, Laxus stood, and turned to face the group at the door. "Welcome back guys," he said, beckoning them forward. "Come and sit down. Lucy was just getting breakfast."

Dumbstruck, three of Fairy Tail's most notable mages picked themselves up and shuffled to the bar, leaving their bags in a messy pile by the door. Freed couldn't believe that Laxus, _his_ Laxus, was back. For a year he had taken charge of the Raijinshu, keeping Bickslow and Evergreen from worrying too much and taking jobs to pay for their expenses. But now, with the return of their leader, he could stop. Laxus was here, he'd take care of everything.

Lucy smiled brightly at them as they took seats at the bar. "Hey guys, it's been a while! How are you?"

"We've been well," Freed managed, still overwhelmed by how Laxus had returned to them. But why had Lucy arrived before them? There was no way that he would have been able to contact her like the Raijinshu could be contacted.

He took a closer look at the two as Lucy bustled about, preparing breakfast for the group. They were both well-tanned, and Lucy seemed to have taken on muscle, while Laxus didn't seem to have changed much. Yet Freed still felt as if something was off, even though he couldn't put his finger on it.

"Here you guys go," Lucy said cheerfully as she placed plates in front of each of them. "I didn't know how you guys liked everything, so I left a lot of the seasoning up to you." Freed looked at the plate, finding eggs, pancakes, and bacon arranged neatly, and salt and pepper shakers within reach. Waiting for Bickslow, who always added a hideous amount of pepper to his eggs, Freed watched as Lucy placed a plate in front of Laxus and moved to get drinks for the group.

 _She knows how much he eats,_ Freed realized, recognizing the sheer amount of food on the plate as being a perfect portion for Laxus. _And apparently he told her how to season everything_. Laxus hadn't bothered getting involved in the power struggle for maple syrup that was currently occurring between Bickslow and Evergreen, and Freed realized that his plate was already prepared.

"You two are dating," Evergreen said bluntly, giving up her claim to the maple syrup. "Since when?"

Freed was taken aback. _How had Evergreen known that?_ Lucy and Laxus exchanged amused looks.

"I told you she'd figure it out first," Lucy said smugly, taking a bite of her breakfast. "Now you have to do the dishes."

Laxus huffed in annoyance. "How did you know?" he muttered, continuing with his own breakfast. "I figured Freed would since he watches me like a hawk."

"It's a girl thing," Lucy said offhandedly. "We just have a radar for this."

Evergreen nodded, smiling brightly. "So Lucy~ I'm going to have _lots_ of fun with you. I've been stuck with these two for a year. The next free day we get, we're going shopping, and then you can _spill_."

Bickslow looked offended, but before he could say anything, Lucy leaned towards Evergreen. "Of course," she murmured, and Freed could tell that she wasn't _actually_ trying to keep anything a secret. "I've been stuck with this guy for an entire _year_ , and there's been no way for me to get any shopping done at all."

"Where were you?" Freed asked Laxus, ignoring Evergreen's sympathetic noises next to him.

"Tenrou," Laxus said noncommittally.

 _Tenrou_. It made a strange sort of sense, Laxus retreating to the guild's holy ground. "Any particular reason?"

"I wanted solitude."

Freed didn't understand. "But Lucy…"

"Showed up on my own," the woman said, breaking off her conversation with Evergreen. "Laxus let me stay."

Bickslow opened his mouth, and Freed prepared himself for the onslaught of suggestive teasing. If he hadn't known the Seith mage for years, he would have cringed, but it was just the man's way of showing how much he cared. "So you two lovebirds were alone?"

"We had a chaperone," Lucy commented idly, finishing her breakfast. "Actually, I haven't seen her at all this morning, have you Laxus?"

"I'm here," a voice said, and the Raijinshu turned to find Master Mavis standing next to the luggage they had discarded. "I was just checking on a few things."

"First," Laxus said. "We've started calling people back."

Mavis nodded, eyes bright. "I see. Seventh, remember Sorcerer's Weekly was sending someone today. You better be prepared for the line of questioning that he'll likely take."

Laxus groaned, and Lucy giggled. "I told you that was going to happen," Lucy remarked, beginning to clear the plates. "Remember what I told you?"

"That only works if they let me explain before avenging your honor," Laxus grumbled, fingers massaging his temples. "Natsu won't."

Catching on, Freed stood. "Don't worry, that's our job," he declared, resting his hand on his sword hilt. "The Raijinshu won't let any harm come to either of you. Evergreen, help Lucy with the dishes. Bickslow, take our things to the house. I will begin laying enchantments around the guild hall…"

"Hold your horses," Lucy said, laughter in her eyes. "First, let's have a drink. To Fairy Tail, and its seventh master!"

All along the bar, everyone gathered their glass. "To Fairy Tail," they intoned.

"To Laxus-sama," Freed continued, with the Raijinshu echoing him.

"To Laxus," Lucy repeated.

"To all of you," Laxus said gruffly. "None of this would be possible without you."

Seeing the look in his eyes, Freed knew that there was a long story behind everything that had happened during the past year. He knew that they would ask him later, perhaps that night, when they exchanged stories about what they had been doing for the past year, or perhaps another night. But for now, they would simply do what needed to be done, because that was what the Raijinshu was formed to do.

"So, what's next?" he asked.

 *****And this is the very beginning! First up, the Raijinshu. Next week...hmm, I have no idea, actually. Wait, there's one. Yep, they would be the next ones back.**

 **Thanks for all of the reviews everyone. You're all fantastic, and you blow me out of the water every time I read them. I promise I'll do my best to keep moving forward on the sequel because I want to show it to you guys.*****


	2. Chapter 2

**_The Next to Arrive:_**

Lucy fairly flew about the massive kitchen in the guild hall, trying to efficiently get lunch for Laxus and his team. She had gotten used to the significantly smaller setup in the house on Tenrou, and having to rummage through the drawers looking for utensils was making everything take twice as long. While Laxus and his team dealt with the logistics of bringing everyone home, she had volunteered to run the guild hall, which at this point meant keeping them all fed. Since the Raijinshu were living in their house, it was only her and Laxus in the guild hall, which helped.

 _Now if only Jason's interview today could attract the people we'll need the most. Mira and her siblings to help with the bar, Erza for discipline…_ Lucy's thoughts were distracted by the sound of her pot boiling over. While she scrambled for a spoon to stir the pasta she was cooking, she wondered how Mira had ever functioned in this kitchen.

"Left hand drawer next to the stove," a voice called from behind her, and Lucy whirled in shock, forgetting all about the pot on the stove.

"Mira!" she said, completely dumbfounded. "How did you know?"

"Evergreen told Elfman," the white haired woman said with a giggle, crossing the kitchen to join Lucy at the stove. "You're just doing pasta? Here, let me watch the sauce. You do whatever else you need."

"You're a lifesaver," Lucy sighed, heading for the island where she had left the things she needed for the salad she had planned on preparing. "When it was just Laxus and I there wasn't as much to do, and we certainly didn't have this much space."

"Oh, you were with Laxus?" If it was at all possible to _hear_ hearts in someone's voice, Lucy could hear them in Mira's at that moment. "How long have you been here?"

"We just got back two days ago," Lucy said quietly. "We've been on Tenrou pretty much since the guild disbanded." She knew that the barmaid would likely go on a relationship rant because of her admission, but it was going to happen anyway. The minute Lucy and Laxus were in the same room in front of Mira, the white haired woman would be able to sense it. If Lucy made her wait to find out, there would be hell to pay.

Surprisingly enough, Mira took this new revelation quietly. "So when are you due?"

Lucy choked on the piece of cucumber she had just stolen from the pile on her cutting board. "Excuse me?" she said, falling back on the social graces her tutors had drilled into her.

"On what date can I expect my godbabies?" Mira asked, placidly stirring the pasta sauce. "You two were together for a year; there was plenty of time for you two to conceive. I'm guessing you're maybe two months along? You're not showing that much yet, so I can assume you don't feel comfortable sharing, but you can tell _me_. Or do you not know if you're pregnant yet? As soon as Wendy gets back we can have her check."

Completely stunned by the new level Mira's obsession had reached, Lucy carefully palmed the paring knife she was using, suddenly grateful that Capricorn had forced her to learn knife fighting. "It took us eight months before we started dating. We're…there's no way that we're expecting a child…we're not even!"

"Lucy," Mira said quietly, and the blonde began reviewing all forms of escape from the kitchen. "I have been away from all of my favorite relationships for a year. When I return, you inform me that you have managed to outwit my matching skills, but you show no shame in admitting that there are no godbabies for me to spoil?"

"Mira," a voice rumbled from the kitchen door. "Stop pestering Lucy about children. After you hear the whole story of what happened this year, you'll understand why there are no children. There won't be children for a while, so don't pester her about them for the next three years. I need her help getting everyone settled back in."

"Of course, Master!" Mira chirped, demeanor changing immediately. "It's good to see you again!"

"Good to see you too," Laxus said with a slightly grin. "I was upstairs working on paperwork when I heard you come in. We'll talk more over lunch?"

"I'd be happy to," Mira sang with a smile. "Elfman and Lisanna will be here as soon as they get our things dropped off at the house."

"Good to have you back," the lightning dragon slayer said quietly as he left the doorway, leaving Lucy and Mira on their own.

"So," Lucy said, scrambling to come up with a topic of conversation that didn't involve her relationship with Laxus. "What did you guys do during the past year?"

"Nothing too complicated, really." Mira said cheerfully. "Lisanna and I would wait tables and all of us did a lot of training. Elfman occasionally worked in the kitchens where Lis' and I worked. Every so often we crossed paths with the Raijinshu too!"

"Did you see anyone else?" It had been a year since Lucy had heard any rumors of where her former teammates, and even from her brief visits to the shops in town, she had learned that the core members of Fairy Tail had been keeping a low profile. It surprised her, given the sheer amount of destruction that Natsu could churn out on his own, and was slightly worrisome too.

"Just Freed and his team," Mira said sadly. "I heard Wendy's been at Lamia Scale, and Erza may or may not have joined the Magic Council, but we've all been pretty quiet."

Lucy sighed as she finished assembling the salad. "I know I shouldn't expect much, but I just wish that everyone would have come home already."

"We've never been separated for this long, unless you count the seven years on Tenrou," Mira mused as she tasted the sauce. "It seems like such a long time."

"Last night I couldn't help but think it was too quiet," Lucy said, reaching for the plates she had stacked on the island earlier. "Even though it wasn't all that different from Tenrou. I guess I'm just used to it being super noisy at the guild."

"How did you guys build it so quickly?" Mira asked, pulling the pots off the stove and draining the pasta. "Freed had told me the last time he passed the site, there was absolutely nothing."

"That's something Mavis did," Lucy replied with a shrug. "All Laxus and I did was supply the power needed. Do you think they're going to want bread with the pasta?"

"Probably. You can get away with cutting it as needed though, since it's such a small group," Mira said, mixing the pasta in with the sauce and pouring the mixture into a serving bowl. "It's nice having such a small group sometimes. Less shouting."

"You've obviously never had Team Natsu over for dinner," Lucy muttered with a grimace. "Trust me, in terms of noise, Natsu and Grey are worth about a hundred people all shouting the same thing."

Mira laughed, grabbing the bowl. "Are we eating out at the bar?" she called as she headed out the door into the main part of the guild.

"There should be a table right in front of it," the blonde called back, balancing the salad and a stack of glasses and following her friend. Leaving the dishes, Lucy returned to the kitchen for the bread, plates, and utensils. By the time she made her way back through the doors, Mira had already set the table, and Laxus and the Raijinshu were coming down the stairs.

Just as they sat down, having been joined by Elfman and Lisanna, the doors burst open. Lucy dropped her hands to her keys, but relaxed as she saw Wakaba, Macao, and Romeo standing in the doorway.

"You're back!" Romeo shouted, his father and Wakaba both breathing too hard to speak. Lucy guessed that they had run the entire way once they had seen the guild hall was reconstructed.

"Come join us for lunch," Laxus called, and Lucy rose to grab extra plates while Elfman got up to get more chairs. "We'll tell you all about it."

Once everyone had been reshuffled and seated, Laxus raised his glass as silence fell. "To returning members," he said quietly. "Because Fairy Tail would be nothing without them."

"To the master who guides us all," Mira said as everyone drank.

"Now," Laxus said as they began eating. "Who wants to tell their story first?"

 *****Here's the next installment! I may also post a few one shots based on 453, because GaLe is adorable.*****


	3. Chapter 3

**A Warm (?) Welcome**

Lucy sighed as she saw the familiar green haired form waiting for her at the guild doors. "Freed," she called as she got closer, enjoying not having to shout over the noise of her guild mates, since only a few more had trickled in since Mira and her siblings had returned. "I do _not_ need an escort to run out and get a few things."

Equally politely, Freed inclined his head. "Miss Lucy, as a member of the Raijinshu, it is not only my duty, but my _pleasure_ to escort you whenever you are not in Laxus's presence or the guild hall. Besides, it was my understanding that you have been kidnapped in Magnolia twice before, let alone the business at the Grand Magic Games last year."

Scowling, Lucy felt her patience wearing thin. "First, I'm a lot stronger than I was at the time, and both times were made worse by not having my keys. That problem's been solved. Second, the people responsible had also attacked a team of three, and they're current members of our guild. Third, I was injured, unconscious, and two others were taken out in the attempt to stop them from taking me. I am not a delicate flower to be protected Freed. What are you going to do when I get an apartment and stop living in the guild hall?"

Freed refused to be distracted or put off by her increasingly snippy tone. "If you weren't living with Laxus, in Fairy Hills, or with the Raijinshu, Ever would move in with you had I would place runes around the property to control access."

Stalking away with a huff, knowing that Freed would follow, Lucy felt like punting the rune mage into the canal. "I'm not a high profile target," she muttered. "I never needed this babysitting before and I don't need it just because I'm dating Laxus."

"Before you were simply a Fairy Tail mage," Freed called as he caught up to her. "Now you are a Celestial Mage with a unique power that no other wizard will have. If that weren't enough reason to keep an extra eye on you, you are in a relationship with Laxus, who is the newest master of Fairy Tail."

Continuing on to the market, Lucy knew that she couldn't be able to make Freed back off on her own. Between him and the other two Raijinshu members, she hadn't left the guild hall alone since they had returned. It felt as if she had returned to the life she had left when she ran away from home, and the return of the restraints made her chafe uncomfortably.

When she was done with her shopping, with Freed's ever-present hovering driving her slowly insane as she studiously ignored him, Lucy hurried back to the guild building. Despite her annoyance, she retained her manners enough to thank Freed for his escort as she waved at Mira, who was manning the bar as she always did.

"Thanks for going shopping," Mira said as Lucy passed her the bags. "How did it go?"

"I would have enjoyed it if I didn't have a shadow," Lucy grumbled. "Is Laxus up in his office?"

"Last I knew," Mira giggled, passing Macao a beer. "He came down for a drink and a snack a while ago, muttering about paperwork. If it's anything like what Master Makarov had to endure, I would guess that he's still there."

"Thanks Mira," Lucy headed for the stairs, determined to settle this affair once and for all. "Good to have you back."

"You too Lucy," the white haired woman called.

Reaching the door marked _Master_ , Lucy knocked once and waited for the growled permission she knew would come. When she opened the door, the blonde found Laxus hard at work, bent over the paperwork that littered his desk. Circling around behind him, she started massaging the knots out of his shoulders. He stayed quiet, working on the stack in front of him until the last form had been completed. "Thanks," he murmured as he stretched. "I really needed that. Who knew how much paperwork I'd need to deal with just for restarting the guild?"

"What is all of it?" Lucy asked scanning the forms in front of her.

"Loan paperwork, member information forms, inventories, registration with the new magic council, registration with the regional guild membership…countless requests from _Sorcerer's Weekly_. They want to conduct an interview and I've been studiously ignoring each and every letter they send. Please tell me you've come up here with something that will make this paperwork go away?"

Lucy chuckled as she took in his pleading eyes, but she shook her head. "It's a quick fix. Can you get Freed and the Raijinshu to stop escorting me every time I leave the guild? I know they're your bodyguards, but I can take care of myself."

Laxus laughed, but his eyes were serious as he said: "I'm afraid I can't do that."

"Why not?" Lucy asked, shuffling papers aside so she could perch on his desk. "I don't need to be treated like a defenseless child. That's why I went to Tenrou."

"You now have a completely unique style of magic that some people might want badly," Laxus said, reaching out to run his fingers through her hair. "Not to mention that you're a well known mage of Fairy Tail and my girlfriend. If someone was looking to pick a fight with us, you would make an excellent target."

"But I can defend myself!" Lucy protested, irritated by his insinuation that she was weak. "And who would want to pick a fight with Fairy Tail?"

"This isn't about you being weak," he said tiredly, rubbing his thumb against her cheek bone. "This is about not taking chances with someone I care about. I don't know if someone will try and pick a fight with us, but until I do, I want to know that someone will always have your back. Freed agrees with me, and even Ever sees that it's a smart plan."

"So, until you say so, I'm not going to be able to go _anywhere_ on my own?" Lucy said with a sigh. "And when I finally find a place, Ever will be my roommate?"

"When your team returns, you can live with them and they can act as your escorts. Or you could take my room at the Raijinshu's house or move into Fairy Hills."

"You know I don't have the money for Fairy Hills," Lucy protested weakly. "And where would you stay if I took your room?"

"Here, until I build my house."

Lucy whipped her head around from where she had been studying one of the forms and fixed him with a stare. Laxus chuckled slightly and reached out to pull her into his lap. "I've been planning to build for a long time, actually. When they arrested my dad, all of his stuff passed to me, including some land out by Porlyusica's. Once I've got the paperwork all straightened out, I'm going to start building."

Kissing him on the cheek, Lucy reluctantly stood up and made her way to the door, knowing that she couldn't distract him for too long. "I should go help Mira," she said with a sigh. "Kinana's not back yet, and even though it's quiet, it's almost the dinner rush."

"I am sorry," he called as she moved to open the door. "It's not fun to be babysat."

"You promised it will stop when you're certain things are safe," she said, trying to put a good spin on the problem. "It will give me a chance to get to know your friends."

"Just try not to take out your frustrations on them," Laxus warned gently. "They don't have too much experience with angry Lucy."

She saw him shiver as she turned to face him with a brilliant smile. "Then you had best warn Freed that if he tries to carry my shopping again, I'm throwing him into the canal."

* * *

"Freed," Lucy said sweetly, shifting her groceries into her non-dominant hand. "Haven't I assured you that I am perfectly capable of carrying my own shopping?"

"You have," he agreed politely, not noticing her right hand resting on her whip. "However, it is the gentlemanly thing…"

Fast as lighting, Lucy had his upper arm trapped in the coils of her whip as he reached to take her bags from her. "I have been relatively patient about being babysat," she gritted out. "However, your tendency to ignore my ability to manage my own affairs has pushed me beyond my breaking point."

Before either of them could move, a flash caught the corner of Lucy's eye, and she turned, instantly opening one of her portals, but the attack wasn't aimed at her. Ice flew by her, missing her narrowly, and slammed into Freed's chest, knocking him into the canal as her whip extended to keep her from following.

Lucy dropped her groceries and retracted her whip, free hand reaching for her keys. Behind her she could hear Freed spluttering and coughing, but she concentrated on Virgo.

"Punishment time, Princess?" the main asked as she appeared.

"Unknown attacker or attackers, likely at least one ice mage," Lucy rapped out, scanning the area, looking for the next attack. People were beginning to stop and stare, but she wasn't going to let her guard down.

"Water magic too, Princess," Virgo commented, and Lucy looked over her shoulder to see Freed caught in a water lock. As she swore, she heard familiar shouts as townspeople were pushed aside.

"Lucy, are you all right?"

"What's going on Lucy? Where's Freed?"

"How many, Cosplayer? What are we dealing with here?"

"So you finally snapped?"

Bickslow and Evergreen descended upon Lucy, both with their hands on their head gear, ready to unleash their signature attacks. Laxus himself had just appeared, perched on a nearby rooftop. Ignoring the others for a moment, Lucy looked up at him and asked: "Really? The roof?"

"Too many people on the ground. But that? What did he do this time?" Laxus gestured to Freed over her shoulder.

"Not my fault," Lucy said, gesturing to the rune mage. "Wish it was though."

"Get back Lucy!" A voice called. "I'll cover you!"

Lucy saw Laxus's nostrils flare, and a look of surprise flashed across his face, replaced quickly with amusement. "I'll leave you guys to sort this out," he said with a chuckle. "Just don't break too much."

Confused, Lucy opened her mouth to question him, but he was gone in a flash of lightning. Another beam of ice shot towards them, forcing her to dive away from the Raijinshu members, but she opened her gates and sent the ice harmlessly into the canal. Almost immediately, a wall of runes surrounded her, and she felt the familiar tug of teleportation magic…

Landing in the Raijinshu's living room, Lucy cursed Freed and marched out the door, resisting the urge to destroy the entire room. However, before she could leave the property, a wall of runes appeared, restricting her to the property. Summoning Virgo, Lucy had her spirit dig them under the barrier. Once out, she took to the rooftops as if they were Tenrou's trees, Virgo alongside her, and her whip in her hand. Upon her return to the place where she had left the Raijinshu, she found Bickslow and Evergreen fighting an unknown assailant, while Freed still struggled in the water lock. She could see him writing runes, which was probably the only reason why he was still conscious.

Watching the fight, she tried to pinpoint who the ice mage was and where they were attacking from, and when she thought she had him, she sent in her whip to pull him out. As she saw his face, Lucy gasped in shock.

"Ever, Bix, stand down. This was just a misunderstanding." Taking a deep breath, Lucy turned to face the canal. "Juvia, release Freed. And you, Grey…"

With a flick of her wrist, Lucy deposited Grey into the canal next to Freed. "Welcome back."

Evergreen and Bickslow stood down, looking sheepish as Freed climbed dripping out of the canal. Juvia rose out of the water, bringing Grey with her. Sitting on the edge of the roof, Lucy dismissed Virgo and studied the mages in front of her.

"Grey, how did you not manage to recognize the Raijinshu?" she asked curiously.

"You were two seconds from throwing him into the canal," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "When Evergreen and Bickslow showed up, I figured you were in trouble. What's going on?"

"Overprotective," she muttered, glaring at Freed. "All of you are way too overprotective of me. The Raijinshu have been accompanying me for various reasons. Freed was intent on carrying my shopping for me, so I was going to throw him into the canal as an object lesson. I can only assume that he set off some type of panic button when you attacked, and then a teleportation spell, both of which we _will_ be discussing later, and by the time I made it back, you were brawling in the streets. Now, all of you should come back to the guild and explain this to the master."

Standing up, Lucy moved to head off over the rooftops, but as she heard Freed's polite cough, she sighed, saying: "Ever, would you accompany me?"

"With pleasure," the brunette sniffed, her wings appearing to carry her up to the rooftops. "Here's your bags."

"Thanks," Lucy said gratefully. "I was going to start throwing things if I was there any longer. Did we interrupt anything important?"

"Just trying to replace Fairy Hills," the fairy said cheerfully. "Honestly, I'm glad to see some action. I was about to go cross-eyed from looking at real estate listings." Ever grinned as the guild hall came into view. "So, which argument do I want to see?"

"Freed," Lucy said with a wolfish grin of her own. "Definitely Freed."

"Shame Laxus had him put anti-eavesdropping runes on his door," Evergreen said mournfully as they dropped to the street in front of the building. "Freed rarely gets chewed out like this."

As they made their way to Laxus's office, nobody paid them any attention at all. Ever hung back outside Laxus's door, but Lucy pushed it open and grabbed her hand. "I'm going to need moral support on this one."

"Isn't that what I'm here for?" Laxus asked with a laugh as he saw them.

"No, you're here to tell Grey off for attacking Freed in the middle of town without knowing what's going on," Lucy said pertly, giving him a peck on the cheek on her way to her favorite chair in his office. "Ever's my moral support when I ask you to tell Freed off for not only setting off a panic button, but teleporting me away from the fight."

At that moment, the remaining combatants burst in, Grey and Juvia drawing up short when they saw Laxus behind the desk.

"Grey," Laxus said with a grin. "I had hoped we would have a few weeks without any debt due to destruction, but it looks as if my hopes were in vain. For the first few missions, make sure to turn in some of your reward so that we can repay the town for the damage you guys just caused. Freed, I trust you'll do the same?"

The green haired man nodded, and Lucy wondered if now would be an appropriate time to mention the hole in the middle of his lawn. She hadn't felt inclined to ask Virgo to fill it in behind her.

"Ever's been working on a list of places for people to stay, if they lost their homes or apartments due to the destruction. For the meantime though, you can stay in the guild hall. Bickslow has some paperwork for you to fill out as well. Any questions?"

"Why was Freed accosting Lucy?" Grey asked angrily.

"Better question," Lucy said, examining her nails. "Why was Lucy accosting Freed?"

With a slight brush, Freed shifted nervously. Laxus laughted. "He tried to carry your shopping again, didn't he?"

"Why was Freed with Love-rival in the first place?" Juvia asked curiously.

Lucy sighed at the nickname. "Because my boyfriend thinks that I need to be protected," she muttered under her breath.

"Boyfriend?" Grey said slowly, as Juvia exclaimed: "Love-rival isn't love rival any more!"

Conscious of the dropping temperature, Lucy got up from her chair to wrap her arms around Laxus's shoulders. "Yes, _boyfriend_."

Looking at her position, Grey scowled, but Lucy cut him off before he could say anything. "The first person to make any threatening moves gets to fight me."

The Raijinshu immediately backed down from the way they had shifted into attack stances, but Grey was still radiating cold. "Lucy," he said slowly. "What is the meaning of this?"

With a roll of her eyes Lucy shrugged. "I like him, he likes me, we decided to date. Isn't that how the story goes? Look, I know you and I are like siblings, but you can stop being an overprotective git. I've got too many of those in my life right now," she grumbled.

"If you hurt her…"Grey began, but Lucy cut him off.

" _If_ he hurts me, you'll be lucky to find pieces after I'm done with him. My spirits would want the next place in line, so you'll have to fight them for the ability to thrash him."

Grey looked skeptical, and Lucy resisted the urge to show him her new abilities. There would be time for that later. "Look, we'll talk and catch up tonight at dinner. Right now, Laxus and I need to have a conversation with Freed. Go figure out where you guys are staying and say hi to Mira. She'll be insulted you didn't stop and gossip with her when you came in."

Nodding confusedly, Grey allowed himself to be marched out of the office by Bickslow with Juvia trailing behind them, leaving Ever, Lucy, Laxus, and Freed sitting there. As the door shut behind them, Lucy's grin returned and Freed began to squirm slightly.

"So Freed," she said casually. "What was that spell you used?"

As she watched him try to explain, Lucy mentally toasted herself. _Lucy 1, Freed 0._

 *****Well, less about raising glasses, but that scene's been in existence longer that _Still Standing_. It got written and then set aside because I wasn't planning on writing a sequel to _Strength of Spirit_. Beta got _very_ angry with me when she learned of its existence and that I hadn't shared it with her.**

 **I'm at the point with the sequel for _Still Standing_ where I _might_ consider putting a start date to it. The chapters are pretty long, so I'll likely only update twice a month instead of weekly like I usually do. The _earliest_ I might start posting is sometime in mid-October, but the chapters being so long means that beta has a lot on her plate, and this story needs her touch. I may simultaneously post the CoLu too, but I have to take a look at that and see if it's where I want it to be.*****

 _***Sorry for everyone who got a double alert on this. FF decided to throw ALL of the formatting notes in this chapter into the text when I wasn't looking, and I had to go through and fix it! Thank you to_ GoddessPrimaBella _who told me about it!***_


	4. Chapter 4

**Home is Where the Bar Is**

Cana remembered feeling six. Remembered rummaging through her mum's drawers after she died, taking the little money they had and her mother's precious deck of cards and slipping away to the train station before the well-meaning doctors and nurses started asking questions about what she would do now that her mum was gone. The brunette didn't know much at the time. She did know that she had a father, his name was Gildarts, and he was a member of Fairy Tail, whatever that was. It was the last information her mother had given to her before she died, and Cana knew that it was her mother's way of telling her to go find her father.

She remembered the library, politely asking the nice lady at the desk what Fairy Tail was and how she could find it. With the city scribbled down on a slip of paper, Cana ran for the train station and hid her emotions under the guise of an overly excited youngster who had been allowed to buy her _own_ ticket for their trip to visit a sick grandmother. Looking back later, she was amazed at how easy it had been to lie, even though she was trying not to cry over the fact that her mother was dead and she had never met this Gildarts who her mother claimed was her father. But she boarded the train and found a compartment all to herself. Placing her tiny little purse on the seat next to her, she pulled out her mother's cards and began to look at all of the pretty pictures on them. She knew them by heart, having watched her mother use them before to do what she called _readings_ , but the pictures were what was important.

Sometime during the trip she fell asleep, with her cards clutched tightly in her hand and her purse beside her. Nowadays she was amazed that nobody had stolen her purse, but then again, most of her money went towards buying the train ticket.

Arriving at Fairy Tail was scary. The building was just so _huge_ , and it was so _loud_. Her knees had shaken, and her palms definitely had sweated, but she had forced herself to walk inside, to ask about Gildarts. She wasn't sure if she had been upset or happy when Makarov had told her that he wasn't there, and started visiting the guild every day in the hopes that he would return. Eventually, Makarov got her set up at the Orphanage in town, when he caught her sleeping in the guild's storage room one night, and when she was ready, when she had learned enough magic to use her mother's cards, she joined the guild.

Shaking her head, the brunette took a swig from the bottle in her hand and wrinkled her nose at the taste. Alcohol just hadn't tasted the same in the past year. It always had this bitter taste, like old tears.

Or maybe they were new tears, because each time she drank, a tear fell. No matter what bar she ended up at, there was always a moment where she could remember sitting on top of the bar at Fairy Tail with her boyfriend and shouting at Grey to put some clothes on. Or making fun of Natsu for his latest screw-up. New barrel, new memory. It had almost been enough to make her think seriously about not drinking, but she wondered if the memories would come back. Because as painful as it was to remember them, they were all that she had left. Over twelve years of her life she had spent at that guild hall, and it was ripped away from her.

The first three days had been spent trying to get herself drunk enough that she couldn't feel anything anymore. She had cursed out Makarov a plenty, telling him off for taking away her home just because, but it hadn't helped. Eventually she had to move on, find a new place to drink. Staying hurt too much.

But now she was back, following her cards. Every day since she had left the guild, she had done a reading on it, trying to figure out if Makarov had finally come to his senses, or if someone else. A week ago, she had her first positive reading, but she had stayed put. The last time she had gotten a positive reading, it was just the townspeople clearing the rubble from the former guild hall. After a week of positive readings, her guild mark reappearing, and readings into the locations of Mira, Lucy, and Macao, Cana was convinced. It really was happening. Fairy Tail was coming together again. And she didn't know what to do.

As she sat on the train heading back to Magnolia, she felt six again, just as sad, just as scared. What waited for her in Magnolia? Was it just another false alarm?

When the train pulled into the station, she gathered her bag and her bottle and left, trying not to lurch. She had been drinking too much of late, trying to fortify herself against another possible disappointment. But as she walked through the busy streets of Magnolia, she couldn't deny that things looked the same as they always had. The last time she had been in Magnolia, the town was dimmer, more subdued than it had been. Now it was bustling with life, and it reminded her of the old days.

Unconsciously, her feet sped up and by the time she reached the main avenue leading to Fairy Tail, she was flat out running. It stood before her, tall and proud, and she nearly cried to see it.

Bursting through the gates, she headed straight for the doors, hardly believing her eyes. As she reached for the handles, the door opened from the inside, and Cana crashed into someone standing in the doorway.

Falling to the floor in a tangle of limbs, Cana blinked as she took in the familiar blonde hair.

"Lucy, are you okay? I told you to wait for me."

"I'm fine Freed, nobody's going to attack me in the guild hall," Lucy said with a smile, dropping her bag to wrap her arms around the brunette. "It's Cana, anyway."

"Cana?" several voices shouted, and Cana could hear the warmth in their voices. "She's back?"

"I've got a barrel ready for you!" Mira called from somewhere, probably over by the bar.

"It's been too quiet without you around!" Macao called.

"It's good to have you home," Lucy whispered, pulling her closer in a tight hug. "I missed you."

Cana tried to hold back her tears, but Lucy's whisper drove her over the edge. Not caring about the fact that she was sitting in the center of the doorway, she bawled her eyes out, all of the tears that she had repressed since the guild had disbanded.

Lucy stayed with her, rubbing her back soothingly and allowing her to clutch on to her shoulders. When she finally stopped crying, Lucy was there and smiling. "You're home," she whispered again. "It's okay now."

"Cana," a voice rumbled from nearby, and the brunette looked up to see Laxus standing nearby, with Freed next to him. "Welcome home. And I'm sorry that my grandfather took it away from you."

Sniffing, Cana smiled weakly at him. "I'll be okay now," she whispered, wincing at her nasally voice. "So what's up?"

"Laxus is master now," Lucy said, smiling. "He restarted the guild and we're trying to bring everyone back. It's been slow so far, but Jason was here and interviewed everyone yesterday so we think the word's going to spread pretty quickly."

Looking around, Cana found herself surrounded by the smiling faces of the family she had made for herself. Reaching for the bottle she had brought with her, she took a swig, and smiled. It wasn't bitter any more.

"To home!" she shouted, waving her bottle, and the others laughed as they agreed with her.

"To our home!"

 *****Well, sorry this took so long! Life's been a bit busy and I just finished writing it. Cana came home! Next week...someone my beta suggested. I'm not going to say who, because it's going to be a surprise. *****


	5. Chapter 5

**In the Lion's Den**

Pausing in wiping down the table, Lucy looked up at Cana, who had assumed her 'throne', or rather, the brunette had taken back the corner of the bar that had been hers ever since Makarov had given up trying to keep her from drinking.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"How does lion boy feel about all this?" Cana repeated. "Last time I saw Loke, he was worse than Grey when it came to keeping potential suitors from sniffing around your doorstep. I haven't seen him giving Laxus a hard time. Come to think of it, I haven't seen him at all."

Lucy bit her lip, and the brunette drew in a breath. "Girl, we're going somewhere quiet. You're still staying at the guild?"

At Lucy's mute nod, the brunette hopped nimbly down from the bar and marched Lucy out the guild doors. As Freed and the Raijinshu called out from the second floor, Cana hollered back that they needed a girl's day and she was perfectly capable of taking care of Lucy for an afternoon.

A short walk later, Lucy found herself alone in the public baths with Cana. The baths were surprisingly deserted, although Lucy realized that most people wouldn't be there at midday. As Cana slid into the water next to her, the brunette turned to face her. "Spill. What's wrong with lion boy?"

"It's all my fault," Lucy choked back a sob, but she couldn't hold it back for much longer. Grey had asked after Loke the other day, and she had to lie to him about what was going on, to tell him that the lion was doing just fine. Laxus knew, but nobody else did. And being back at the guild, while it was nice to be home, it was just an ever present reminder of what she had done, and what she had lost.

"What's all your fault?" Cana said, understanding on her face, and Lucy couldn't help but thank Mavis for Cana. Without Levy or Erza, she was lost when it came to female companionship, and she wasn't sure if she could talk about something like this with any of the others.

Looking at Cana, Lucy felt all of her barriers crumbling. With a hitch in her voice, she told the entire thing, starting from Tartarus and the Spirit King, and ending with the last time she had seen Loke, almost two weeks ago, as he and Virgo brought their things from the Spirit World. By the time she finished, Lucy's face was wet with tears, and she was pretty sure the bathwater had risen an inch.

Cana's eyes were bright as she reached out to wrap Lucy in her arms. "I'm so sorry Lucy," she whispered, and Lucy could hear the roughness in the brunette's voice that meant the girl was trying not to cry. "You gave up just as much as Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel, and all of us just left you. We didn't try and find out what was wrong, we just left, dealing with our own messes…Thank Mavis you went to Tenrou and found Laxus there. I was worried when you disappeared from my readings, but figured that you had just gone far enough away that I couldn't find you, or there was something interfering. Mavis only knows it happens more often than not with Gildarts."

"He's been great," Lucy whispered. "He didn't understand at first, because I didn't tell him what had happened, but once he found out…he's sat with me through all of the nightmares. Even when I was doing stupid things, he was there to keep me from getting hurt. And he was there after I talked to Loke for the first time since…since I threatened him."

"You know," Cana said quietly as she stared into the steam spiraling off the surface of the bathwater. "When he was just Loke of Fairy Tail and not Leo the Zodiac Key, I always thought there was something weird about him. He went through women like crazy, but he always had this haunted look on his face when he thought nobody was looking. And then you came, and he was utterly terrified of you, which was surprising. As time went on, he seemed to calm down a bit, and almost seemed a bit…wistful. Especially when you were talking about your spirits. He wouldn't talk to anyone about you, but he tried so damn hard to keep you safe during the Phantom Lord battle…you could tell that if it took him laying down and dying to keep you safe, he'd be on the ground in a second."

"Of course," Cana continued with a faint smile. "Everything made sense when you came back with him as a spirit. The few times he's been drinking with me since you saved him, he told me about what you did, and what it meant to him. If I thought that he'd lie down and die for you then, when he was exiled…it was multiplied by about ten when he contracted with you. He'd do anything to make you happy and keep you safe."

"And I hurt him in the worst way possible," Lucy said bitterly, knowing exactly how much she had done to cause him pain in the past year. "I can't understand why he still wants to keep his contract with me after I said that."

"Love's a funny thing," Cana mused. "There were days when I was certain that I hated Gildarts. How could he not recognize me? I was his _daughter_. Was he that much of a womanizing pervert that he didn't recognize me? But throughout it all, I couldn't bring myself to actually hate him. Be hurt by him yes, be angry with him, of course. Yet at the end of the day, he was still my father, and I couldn't help but love him. I think you and Loke are the same way. Yeah, he's hurting right now, and yeah, it's because of what you did, but he still cares about you and will be there every time you need him. That's just who he is. You can't rush him and you can't rush yourself. Eventually you'll go back to the same closeness you two had before, but it will just take time."

Lucy wiped her eyes and nodded shakily. She had known all of that, but her fears whispered that he would never be her friend again, that it would be kinder to let him go to Yukino, or another mage who would treat him well. "Thanks Cana," she mumbled, giving the other girl a brief hug. "I needed that."

"Let's get cleaned up before we turn pruney," the brunette said cheerfully, reaching for the shampoo. "And we should probably get you back before Freed has kittens."

"I'm surprised he didn't send Evergreen after us," Lucy said with a small giggle. "I usually don't get to go anywhere without one of them tailing behind. Well, I can go out with just Mira. But I think that's because she's an S-class."

"So you've got those three hanging around you all day?" Cana asked, and the conversation turned to lighter things.

* * *

Two days later, a familiar form leaned against the railing in a shadowy corner on the second floor. Loke watched with a sad smile on his face as Lucy chattered away with Cana as she took her shift at the bar. He knew that she was still hurting over what had happened between them; he and the others had been watching as Cana dragged Lucy out of the guild and coaxed the blonde to explain what was troubling her. Virgo had been on the verge of opening her own gate and helping Lucy before the brunette had interfered.

He was grateful to Cana. Too many people passed her off as just another drunk Fairy Tail mage, but she was…well, she was a symbol of her generation of Fairy Tail mages. Practically orphaned, she made her way to the guild and made her own family, pushing herself to become strong…he had seen the story play out in Natsu, Grey, Erza…Lucy.

His thoughts always had a way of circling back to Lucy. He snorted at Cana's words from her conversation with Lucy. _If it took him lying down and dying to keep you safe, he'd be on the ground in a second_. "How right you are," he mumbled, watching the two women. "I'd be there; already bleeding out."

"She doesn't want your dead body," a voice said, breaking into his thoughts. Loke looked up and saw Laxus sitting nearby at one of the tables.

He had never really considered himself one of Laxus's _friends_ before he contracted with Lucy, but a year of watching Lucy on Tenrou meant that he learned a lot about the lightning dragon slayer. Watching Lucy meant watching her struggle to keep up with what Laxus was asking of her, watching her argue and banter with him as they relaxed after training, watching them stay up all night when someone had a nightmare…they were good for each other, it was clearly obvious. And someone who was good for Lucy was all right in his books.

"She doesn't want your dead body," Laxus repeated softly, watching the blonde. "She misses you. Every once in a while, one of her nightmares is about losing you. I know what you two said to each other, and I know what she threatened you with. If she had said that to me…I don't know what I would do. But I also know that she's still beating herself up for what she said and if she thought that something would make things right between you, she would move heaven and earth to make it happen."

"I know," Loke whispered, watching the blonde as well. "I know. But even after all this time…we just wanted to be there for her. After Aquarius…we thought we had failed her, not the other way around, and we were desperate to make things right."

"I was there that day," he said, and his mind took him back to the second time the Spirit King had appeared outside his realm. "Virgo and I both were…and we weren't fast enough. That idiot bomber…he took both of us out just after Lucy summoned Aquarius."

"Why couldn't it have been me?" Loke whispered, letting his head fall into his hands. "If it was me, she would still have Aquarius. She was Lucy's last firm link to her mother, the first key that she summoned. Yes, she still has Cancer, but her and Aquarius had a bond that goes far beyond what most spirits and masters ever have."

"Isn't that one of the terms for summoning the Spirit King?" Laxus asked quietly. "An extreme level of trust?"

"In all honestly, it could have been any of us," Loke said bitterly. "All of us were screaming at our gates, begging to be chosen. If I hadn't just taken a hit from the bomber, I would have forced mine open in Aquarius's stead. Anything to protect her."

"Do you think it would have been any different if it was you?" Laxus growled. "Have you not been watching her for the past year? She wouldn't have wished that on _any_ of you. That's why she sent all of you away. It's not just Aquarius, it's all of you. Do you think that she would have sacrificed any member of Fairy Tail for that?"

"She wouldn't," Loke spat back. "Lucy would never…"

"Look at your damn back," Laxus hissed. "Are you or are you not a member of this guild? Lucy would never have sacrificed any of you, because to her, you're nakama, just like me, just like Cana, just like everyone else in this guild! Yes, she hurt you by shutting you out, but don't ever let me hear you tell her that you wish it had been you. She would knock the sense into you, but let me just tell you, I'd be there first."

"You're a member of this guild, and I swore I would protect all of you. So get your head out of your ass and stop thinking about how it should have been you. Losing Aquarius was a tragedy, even if she is still present in your world. Lucy's never going to be quite the same. But for her to lose _any_ of her spirits would have broken her. I…I can't let that happen again. I can't let her lose another one of you. I can't let anyone else lose a parent. Or a sibling. I just…I just can't."

Loke looked at Laxus in surprise. He had known the man had changed during the year he spent on Tenrou, but he hadn't seen how deeply it went. Seeing the man this worked up…Loke knew why the two blondes made such a good match. Shrugging off his shirt, Loke presented his back to the lighting dragon slayer. "Can I come back to the guild?"

He heard Laxus's chair shift, and the man's hand rested briefly where Loke knew his guild mark was. Feeling a brief sizzle of magic, Loke knew that he was once again a member of Fairy Tail. With the number of returning guild members, most people just went to Mira to have their guild marks returned, but the Raijinshu, Lucy, and now he himself could have their guild marks reactivated by the guild master's touch. "I won't make you do any of the paperwork," Laxus said with a chuckle. "But I will subject you to the same torture everyone else has to go through. I'd put your shirt on."

As Loke shrugged back into his shirt, Laxus went to the railing and bellowed something at the guild. Too distracted to catch the first part, all Loke heard was: "Loke's come home everyone!"

A ragged cheer rose from the first floor, and Loke could only see Lucy's surprised face, which slipped immediately into sadness. Heading for the stairs, Loke descended slowly, accepting the greetings that everyone was throwing at him, his eyes fixed on Lucy.

Arriving in front of her at the bar, he saw that his master was gripping Cana's wrist so hard that he was sure that the brunette would have marks later on. Shoving his hands awkwardly in his pockets, he dragged his eyes up to meet hers. "Hey Lucy," he said softly.

Two seconds later he was slammed to the ground, vision obscured by blonde hair. As he lay there stunned, Loke realized that Lucy was _crying_. "I'm so sorry," she whispered into his shoulder. "I'm so sorry."

"It's better now," he said gently into her ear. "We're not back to how we used to be, but we're getting there. _I'm_ getting there. I know you didn't want to hurt us, and we didn't want to hurt you either. But promise me you'll never do something like that again."

"I promise," she sobbed, and he knew that he never would have to worry. His master held promises above all other things.

"You might want to let me up," he murmured softly as he stroked her hair. "Otherwise people are going to start getting ideas about you, Laxus, and I. We don't want that, do we?"

She chuckled weakly and slapped playfully at his arm as she rolled off him. Cana helped her to her feet and gave Loke a brief smile as he was pulled to his own feet by Gray.

Passed from person to person, Loke chanced a glance up at the second floor, and saw Laxus raise his glass in acknowledgement.

 _I'm home_.

 *****Okay guys, I'm sorry this is late. But I wanted to make sure that this one was right. Sorry, lots of angst. But it ties up how Lucy and Loke are doing.*****


	6. Chapter 6

**The First Time the Council Interfered With Laxus's Fairy Tail**

"Lucy, stay close by," Freed called, but the blonde ignored him. It was a simple monster destruction job that she had taken, and given Freed's paranoid tendencies, the entire Raijinshu trailed along with her. When she had chosen the job, she had made sure it was one that she could do on her own, but the rune mage was _insisting_ on it being their duty to protect her.

"It should be just up ahead," she muttered under her breath, resisting the urge to shatter Bickslow's totems as they flew in front of her, obviously scouting the area for danger. _It could be Ever_ , she reminded herself, taking a deep breath. _But Freed better learn that I can handle myself after a year of being trained by Laxus._

All of the sudden, a massive crashing was heard, and her hand flew to her whip, preparing for attack. _That doesn't sound like a herd of Vulcans_ …

Freed and the others drew up beside her, and Lucy contemplated summoning a spirit, but none of the ones she had were useful for scouting. Bickslow had recalled his totems, and they were spinning angrily in front of him, ready to attack the first enemy to appear.

As the crashing grew louder, Lucy dropped into the stance that Laxus had drilled into her, ready for anything. "Get ready!" she called, narrowing her eyes against the cloud of smoke that floated out of the woods in front of them.

Twenty Vulcans broke out of the forest, running straight at them. Lucy loosed her whip, sending several of the monsters crashing into each other. Evergreen's Fairy Machine Gun attack downed several more, as Bickslow's babies flew about causing chaos and destruction. Freed's runes flitted from monster to monster, causing unconsciousness. For a moment, the din subsided, and the four mages were left with a pile of beaten up Vulcans and no clear idea of what had just happened.

Until the rampaging beast broke free of the woods as well.

Immediately they broke their line. The Raijinshu took to the skies using their varied magicks, but Lucy stood firm, staring down the beast. As it approached, she wrapped her whip around its neck and swung herself up onto its back. "Open, Gate of the Golden Bull!"

Taurus appeared next to her as Evergreen hit the beast's eyes with her signature attack. "We need to stop this thing!" Lucy screamed, crouching so that she could hold on to the mangy beast's nasty fur as it protested the attack. "The town's up ahead!"

"Of course!" Taurus said, raising his axe. Pulling on her whip, Lucy tried to use it as a set of reins, but the beast simply bellowed and continued its rampage, moving blindly closer and closer to the town.

"Freed!" Lucy shouted, catching the rune mage's attention. "Block off the town if you can before we get there! Bickslow, Ever, and I will try to stop it from reaching the town in the meantime. Someone find a weak point!"

As the green haired mage flew ahead, he made the mistake of looking over his shoulder.

It was almost comic the way he hit the stone wall of the town's bakery.

"Bickslow!" Lucy screamed. "Get Freed out of the way!" Hauling on her whip, Lucy managed to divert the beast slightly, but she couldn't stop it. "Virgo!" she called, and the maid appeared.

"Punishment, Princess?"

"For this thing!" Lucy called, doing her best to throttle the beast. "Do whatever you can!"

"Of course," Virgo said, and the chains on her wrists elongated and wrapped around the beast's neck.

After Freed was deposited in a safe place, Bickslow returned, but they were already careening through the streets. People were diving into buildings and the screaming was starting to hurt Lucy's ears, but she narrowed her focus to her guild mates and the beast in front of her. _Is this thing finally starting to slow?_

"Pull the neck taunt!" Someone screamed, and Lucy obeyed impulsively. A flash of metal, and suddenly the beast wasn't moving. Its severed head fell heavily to the ground beneath it, crushing a cabbage stall and collapsing several awnings.

Retracting her whip, Lucy sighed in relief. Evergreen alighted on a nearby rooftop, while Bickslow perched on a balcony. "Virgo, you and Taurus can go. Thanks for your help."

"Of course Princess," Virgo murmured with a bow. Taurus began a perverted comment, but she closed his gate before he could complete it.

"Lucy?"

Sliding off the beast's back, Lucy found herself face to face with the point of a sword.

"Erza?"

"It _is_ you," Erza said formally. "I was wondering, since you are not normally with Laxus's companions. Where are the boys?"

Swallowing as she nearly went cross-eyed watching the sword, Lucy replied: "Grey and Juvia are out on a mission. Nobody's seen Natsu for a year. Freed and the others have attached themselves to me in the meantime."

"I see," Erza said contemplatively. "I have been working with Jellal to pursue dark guilds."

"That's nice," Lucy said, still watching the sword. "Ah, Erza?"

"Yes Lucy?"

"The, ah, sword?"

"Oh," Erza seemed to realize that she was still pointing a sword at Lucy's face. "My apologies. You may hit me if you wish."

"I'll pass," Lucy said quickly, seeing Evergreen and Bickslow descending to see the redhead. "What brings you to the area?"

"Convincing a dark guild to disband," Erza said as she greeted Bickslow and Evergreen. "It turns out they were keeping this creature and hoped to train it as a weapon. It reminds me of those beasts from Edolas."

Taking another look at the thing, Lucy had to admit that they seemed similar. "We came across it on a mission to clear a band of Vulcans from the nearby forest. The Vulcans are gone, but we've got to collect them and hand them over to the council. Do you need to go back to Jellal?"

Erza blushed. "I was actually making my way back to Fairy Tail. Jellal figured it was better for me to stay with a legal guild for the time being…" The redhead fidgeted under everyone's stares.

"Hey, you're the Fairy Tail wizards!" someone shouted, and Lucy took a fresh look at the destruction around her and groaned. Rubbing her temples, she turned to face the gathering crowd.

* * *

It had been a quiet train ride back to Fairy Tail. Freed was still unconscious. (Nobody had wanted to wake him up and explain what had happened.) Ever and Erza had exchanged several biting comments about their old rivalry. (Erza steadfastly maintained that she didn't know who gave her the title of Titania.) Bickslow made several perverted comments and was now "asleep" against the window. (Erza _did_ punch him in the stomach at one point, but Lucy wasn't certain he had been knocked out from that.)

When the train pulled into Magnolia, Ever woke Bickslow, who appeared to have actually slept through part of the trip, and he slung Freed's arm over his shoulder and as a group they made their way through town.

What they didn't expect was Laxus waiting for them at the door, a stack of papers in his hand and his arms crossed over his chest.

"Do you mind explaining yourselves?" he said sternly, looking over your group. "I send you off on a job to destroy some Vulcans in a forest and you end up destroying a quarter of the town while fighting a monster that nobody requested be fought in the first place. The council's already breathing down my neck."

He paused for a breath. "Why is Freed unconscious?"

Lucy exchanged looks with the conscious members of the Raijinshu. "Ah, he…might have accidentally collided with a stone wall?"

Laxus snorted. "He was distracted trying to keep you safe and flew into it, didn't he?"

"Yeah."

Shaking his head, Laxus looked over the group. "We've not been open for a month and we already owe money. What am I going to do with you guys?" With a sigh, he crumpled the papers in his fist. "Screw it. Welcome home Erza. It's been too quiet without you around."

The redhead smiled. "It's good to be back, Master."

"Come on you guys, let's get Freed settled and then you can break the news to him. I'm pretty sure he's going to die of shock that it was his mission that led to the first time we got in trouble with the council." Laxus led the way back into the guild, and it was like Erza never left. Lucy remembered the first time that she had seen the woman, and it was much the same. Everyone in the building was chastised for something that had been done during the year they were apart, but everybody knew that it was just Erza's way of telling them that she missed them.

Watching her settle in, Lucy smiled. All she needed were a few more returning members, and then all of her important people would be home.

"How did I get back to the guild?" Lucy's head snapped to look at Freed, who looked highly disoriented as he hung limply from Bickslow, who was still supporting his teammate.

"Ah…" Lucy began, trying to figure out how to explain.

"Erza," Freed said slowly. "You're back."

"I'm home," the redhead agreed. "I'm _home_."

 *****I'm sorry I'm late everyone. There have been some things going on in my personal life that have distracted me from posting. I'm not sure if I'll get around to posting on Monday again or not, since this weekend will be pretty busy. If not, I may just skip next week altogether and come back later.**

 **Well, everyone's favorite requip mage is back, and the destruction begins. Also, a noted lack of angst here. They'll be light chapters (hopefully) for a bit.*****


	7. Chapter 7

**There and Back Again:**

It was hard being five sometimes.

As Asuka trudged along beside her parents, she bit her lip. Despite being five, she knew better than to ask when they were going home. It had been a long year, and she could see her parents grief, and knew that they would be hurt if she pestered too much. She had seen the tears form in her mum's eyes when she had begged, during those first few months. Her dad had told her not to pester her mum about it, and she had tried to be good. But sometimes, she just couldn't _help_ it.

A year ago, she knew her parents had been happy, and she had too. The people who had been a part of her bedtime stories were there, flesh and blood. Natsu, the fire dragon slayer. Lucy, the Celestial Wizard. Grey, the ice mage. Makarov Dreyar, who she had learned to call _Gramps_ even before she met him. Erza, the lady knight.

Romeo had told her the stories when the adults weren't listening, when he was babysitting her as her parents went on missions. It was the only time he seemed happy, when he talked about Natsu and the others. The story of how Natsu, Lucy, and Macao defeated twenty Vulcans was their favorite story, both for him to tell, and her to listen to. But the only story that he wouldn't tell her was the story of how they died.

She had known they were dead, Romeo had told her when she asked where they were. But when she asked her parents how they died, everyone grew quiet and nobody would tell her anything. When people died, you went and visited their graves, and sometimes you put flowers on them. That's what she had seen some of the others do, for family members, but none of the dead Fairy Tail members had graves.

Asuka knew that things were hard for her parents' guild. Despite being so young, she knew instinctively that the people who she called aunts and uncles, and her "big brother" Romeo were sad. They didn't laugh like the people she saw in town. They seemed to be tired, and something was always missing when they smiled. Romeo never smiled, not even when he told her the stories of the old Fairy Tail. So when the bad men came, and were going to hurt Romeo, she was afraid. If something happened to Romeo, would everyone be sadder? What would happen?

But then the other returned. All of them, and she was surprised to realize that she knew who they all were. Stories from Romeo and some of the others had told her their names and personalities, and time drawing with Reedus had taught her their faces. Yet most of all, she felt the pure _joy_ they brought with them. It was like sitting next to the window on a rainy day and then the sun came out. That kind of warmth.

So she was excited, for the first time ever, to go to the Grand Magic Games. Seeing everyone there, fighting for _her_ guild, for her _family_ …it was like nothing she had ever seen. Already these people who had been her bedtime story heroes were her aunts and uncles, grandparents…she watched them lay out every part of their strength and more for the sake of Fairy Tail and those who had waited patiently for their return. And she felt her heart swell to the point of bursting as she watched Sting kneel before Grey, Juvia, Laxus, Gajeel, and Erza.

The bit afterwards with the dragons was scary, but she knew that the others would fight to the very end to protect them all. And then they returned to Magnolia, and she was amazed to see their guild hall. All her life, the guild hall she had known was the rundown building outside town, but she had heard the stories of the building in Magnolia that had once been theirs. To see it in real life…it was exhilarating. Like a castle in a fairy tale. She felt like Cinderella, taken from rags to riches with the arrival of her fairy godmothers. And godfathers. And whatever else the returning members were to her.

But then bad people came, and everyone got worried. Laxus and his team were sick, and nobody could tell her when they were going to be better. When she made cards for them, her mum patted her on the head and said that it was a nice thought, but there was something in her tone of voice that made Asuka wonder if something was wrong. Even the scary dragon lady was afraid. Lucy, who always had the best stories, had been hurt. And then Elfman came back, upset, and something happened to the guild building.

The details were a little fuzzy, but she remembered a floating…something, and lots of yelling and fighting. She cowered next to Laxus and his team, with Kinana standing protectively in front of them. Kinana, who she had never seen fight, was holding a club of wood, and Asuka remembered watching it tremble in the purple haired woman's hands as she listened to the rasping breaths of the mages behind her.

When it was over, Asuka was glad. Laxus and the others were all better, and even though their guild hall was destroyed, they could just rebuild it. But her mum and dad said that they were going to go away, on a long trip. Asuka knew that something was wrong; she had seen her mum crying one night, leaning on her dad. She had seen Lucy crying, looking sadder than anyone had ever looked when the others were missing. Even Gajeel had been out of sorts, and all Asuka had known of the iron dragon slayer was that his bark was significant, but he only bit if you were dangerous.

So she listened to her mum when ordered to pack a bag of everything she might want if they were leaving the house for a while. As they boarded the train, she pressed her face to the window, watching as the town slipped away and wondering when they would come back.

But it had been a year, and they hadn't even wandered remotely close to Magnolia. Sure, parts of the trip were fun, like trying all of the different food, and seeing all of the different cities, but Asuka missed home. She missed Grey and Natsu fighting, Mira's cheerful face behind the bar with Kinana, Romeo's stories, Gramps sitting on top of the bar with Laxus leaning next to him…she missed them all.

When she read her storybooks while she waited for her parents, she couldn't help but remember how she had felt like Cinderella, looking at the new guild hall. But as Asuka read the new translation of the classic tale, she realized that this must have been how Cinderella felt each night after the ball had ended and everything was back to rags and hard work. She could hope that someday she would go home again, but she couldn't make it happen without a little bit of magic.

Yet she knew that asking her parents why they couldn't go back would hurt them. Her mum would cry and her dad's face would twist, and she knew that at night, when they thought she was asleep they'd talk and cry together.

"Are you sure?" her mum said to the vendor they had stopped at while Asuka had been lost in thought. "They're back?" Hope welled up in Asuka. There was only one _they_ that would have her mother take that type of tone.

"Sure I'm sure," the man said. "Saw the Seith mage go through here a month ago with his teammates, looking like their hair was on fire. They went straight to the station and bought tickets to Magnolia. If that wasn't enough, it's in this week's issue of Weekly Sorcerer. Erza's back too, from what I gather. You're one of their guns mages, right? How come you didn't know?"

"We've been hunting monsters in the forests for a few weeks," her dad said to the man as her mum flipped quickly through the magazine. "This is the first time we've been in town since then."

"Take the magazine, it's on the house," the man said, refusing to accept it back as Asuka watched her mum shove it back at the man. "You folks probably want to get home as quickly as possible."

 _Home?_ "Dad, are we going home?" Asuka asked, hardly believing her ears.

Reaching down, her dad gathered her and her pack up into his arms as her mum paid for the food they had bought. "As soon as we get the tickets, we're taking the next train to Magnolia."

* * *

Asuka squirmed to be let down the moment she saw the familiar building looming in front of her. Setting her down, her dad chuckled, and she saw her parents' hands entwine before she took off towards the building.

Bursting through the door, she ran face first into someone, the force of her momentum knocking both of them into the ground. Sitting up, she saw Romeo's face.

Throwing her arms around him, she hugged him as tight as she could. "Asuka, I can't breathe!" he gasped trying to loosen her hold on him. "Ease up a bit, won't you?"

Laughing, she let go of him, and looked around, finding familiar faces everywhere. Her parents were hugging people and then they collected her and went up to the bar where Laxus was leaning against it, Lucy tucked into the crook of his arm like Asuka had seen her parents do sometimes when they watched her play.

"Welcome back!" Lucy squealed, hugging her mum, and then her dad. "I'm so happy to see you guys!"

"Aunt Lucy!" Asuka cried, throwing herself at Lucy, knowing that while her parents were around, she had to give Lucy the proper title, even if the blonde didn't mind being called by her first name alone. "I missed you!"

"Welcome back, all of you," Laxus said as Lucy swung Asuka around. "We're happy to have you home."

"You became master?" Asuka heard her mum ask, but she was too busy telling Lucy about everything she had seen since they last saw each other.

That night, as everyone gathered at the guild hall, Asuka found herself content and happy, watching everyone cavort. This was the home she had been longing for, not the building, but the people. Even though she had her parents, her extended family had come to mean so much to her that she felt their absence greatly. Not everyone was home yet, but she knew that they would come back, just like she did, not because they needed to be part of a guild to do work, but because this was their home, this was their _family_.

 *****Okay, I know it's been a while. And I'm sorry. There were a few things going on in my personal life, and then I had the nastiest case of writer's block I've had in a while...and then I couldn't figure out who to bring home this week. And then Beta thought Asuka was a little** ** _too_** **mature...so it took a bit to figure out how this was going to happen.**

 **The good news is...I may be almost ready to start posting the sequel to** ** _Still Standing_** **! With my writer's block acting up I've had a lot of delays, but I'm making forward progress now. It's not anywhere close to done, but if I drag out posting, I might be able to post next month or late this month.*****


	8. Chapter 8

**The Sweetest Iron:** _(don't kill me for this I have no idea what to call the upcoming trainwreck)_

Laxus was enjoying the early fall afternoon in Magnolia, trailing behind his girlfriend as she wandered in front of him. They had left the guild in the capable hands of Mira and Freed for the afternoon, not expecting anyone to return that needed to be seen personally. Almost everyone had returned, with only three notable exceptions: Gajeel, Levy, and Natsu. Erza had brought word that the first two were working with the Magic Council, so Lucy had resigned herself to missing her best friend for a while longer. Cana's betting pool on Natsu's return was a thriving enterprise, since nobody had heard even the slightest rumor about the fire dragon slayer since he left in the middle of the night.

Lucy looked over her shoulder to smile at him, and Laxus found himself smiling back at her. If anyone had told him…seven years ago? Before they got stuck on Tenrou, for certain. Anyway, if anyone had told him that he would end up dating one Lucy Heartfilia, and starting to consider it a long term relationship, he would have shocked them, and walked away laughing. Who in their right mind would have paired him with the blonde?

However it happened, he was grateful beyond belief that she was willing to give him a chance. Even if dating her _did_ mean that he was touring more of Magnolia's frillier cafes than he wanted to ever patronize.

His contemplation was shattered as his girlfriend let out a deafening squeal, forcing him to wince and shield his ears. By the time he recovered, she had vaulted over the flimsy barrier around a group of tables outside a bakery, tackling a patron to the ground.

Wading through the onlookers, who seemed to appear out of nowhere to gawk at the spectacle, Laxus reached over the railing and snagged the back of Lucy's shirt, lifting her off the person she had talked with ease. "I'm sorry," he began to apologize as Lucy flailed in his grip. "She usually doesn't…"

As Lucy kicked out, landing a decent hit to his midriff, he had to stop to catch his breath, but then there was another squeal, and a gruff voice grumbling: "Tone it _down_ Shrimp."

Focusing on the other occupant of the table, Laxus did a double take. "Gajeel?" he grunted, trying to keep himself from falling over laughing. "What are you doing here?"

The cantankerous iron dragon slayer was perched on a delicate wrought iron chair, his familiar piercings and wild hair completely at odds with the rest of the patrons at the outdoor seating areas. Scowling, Gajeel reached down to drag a familiar blunette upright, both of them dressed in council uniforms. "What does it look like? Or did the lightning finally fry your brain?"

Setting Lucy back on her feet, but keeping an eye on her in case she tried to tackle Levy violently again, Laxus retorted: "Looks like you're out on a _date_."

The iron dragon slayer growled, but looked away, a slight blush dusting his cheeks. "I'm just escorting Shrimp back. She saw this place and wanted to stop."

"Suuuure," Laxus teased, leaning on the divider. "And what were you planning to do once you got her back? Turn around and leave us?"

"Don't make me arrest you," Gajeel snapped back. "Bunny's already on the edge for assaulting a Council employee."

Laxus glanced between Levy and Lucy, who had progressed to bouncing up and down while hugging each other. "The Council employee looks _particularly_ bothered by her assault," he remarked dryly. "And besides, you need to find me in violation of the Interguild Dispute Interdiction Treaty, guilty of fraud, or guilty of murder to arrest me, _and_ you'd need a warrant."

"No shit," Gajeel said, eyes widening. " _You're_ the guild master? What happened to your old man?"

"In jail," Laxus replied coolly, feeling his hackles rise at the mention of his father. " _Gramps_ however, has been rather fond of staying away unless he wants something, so I have no idea where he is."

"Just hop over and sit down Laxus," Lucy ordered, drawing up extra chairs for the two of them. "This is where we were going anyway, so we might as well catch up over tea and something sweet."

Rolling his eyes in unison with Gajeel, Laxus obediently sat down, kicking Gajeel in the shin as the other slayer cackled under his breath, muttering about figuring out who the _real_ master of Fairy Tail was. A slightly intimidated waitress came over, eagerly discussing the different offerings with Lucy and Levy, while Laxus attempted to decode the menu.

"Just plain coffee," he muttered. "Whatever the most basic thing is." Gajeel ordered something similar, and the two of them spent their time glaring at anyone who looked at their table while the girls chattered away.

When their drinks arrived, Lucy raised her teacup in a toast. "To the Council, finally working _with_ Fairy Tail mages, and not just against them," she chirped with a smile at Levy.

"To Fairy Tail forming up again, so Lucy and I don't need to be on the opposite side of the continent," Levy sang out, clinking her cup against the blonde's.

The two women looked expectantly towards the slayers. With a longsuffering sigh, Gajeel raised his mug. "To having a year where I could arrest anyone who bothered me."

Levy swatted Gajeel, and then the other three looked at Laxus expectantly. "To friends," he said lightly. "The ones who always come back, no matter how hard you try to get rid of them."

This time it was Lucy hitting him as Gajeel chuckled.

 *****Well, it's been a while for this? (Purposely** ** _not_** **looking at the last updated date...) So, here it is, complete with text notes from me to my beta, who maintains that it is not as horrible as I thought it was when I wrote it two months ago. This was supposed to go up yesterday, in place of the** ** _Frontlines_** **chapter that I need to edit, and then I was wandering around papalogia's tumblr, found a reference to** ** _The Ash Connection_** **, and consequently spent most of yesterday reading it when I should have been writing.**

 **I am (only slightly) ashamed.**

 **However, it** ** _is_** **an excellent fic, so you should read it if you like Pokemon. Seriously.**

 **And now I have to get back to editing the** ** _Frontlines_** **chapter, and writing the** ** _Chained Dragon_** **chapter that comes out Wednesday...oh, and the last chapters of CoLu week. Lots to do.*****


	9. Chapter 9

**The Finale**

For the first time in her life, Lucy was glad that Natsu's name could be listed in a thesaurus as an antonym for 'subtle'. Exactly two years, nine months, and twenty-seven days after she and Laxus had opened Fairy Tail's doors after so long, Sorcerers Weekly had published an article about his supposed return trip to Magnolia.

Lucy had to hear the news second-hand from Jason after he dropped by to do an interview on the bustling guild – much to her surprise and dissatisfaction. After politely excusing herself, she remembered making her way behind the bar and caught Mira attempting to hide the referenced copy of the magazine amidst the pages of the ledger containing Cana's bar tab. She had scoured the pages after Mira had finally relinquished it until she had read the article on Natsu's return a grand total of nine times.

And hour later, Laxus found his girlfriend staring blankly at the magazine after seeing Jason back to the Magnolia train station. He pried the tear-stained pages from her hands to understand where her shock emanated from, and let out a low whistle when he finished the article. "So the time has finally come. The idiot is finally making an appearance."

Lucy looked up at him, visibly shaken. "I knew he would come back. I was so relieved that he hadn't come back right away with Cana and the others, because I knew I wouldn't be able to welcome him back after he had deserted me. And after he didn't show up for our first celebration, I started to worry less each day that the door would open and he would waltz right inside before I was ready to forgive him for leaving me behind. Even after these two years, I still don't know if I'm ready to face him again. I don't even know how to prepare for his return."

Throwing the magazine in the waste bin, Laxus moved to sit beside the Celestial Wizard. "Well, you don't have to prepare on your own. The rest of the guild also has to get ready for the last member of the family to come home after leaving for so long. I'm sure lots of people will have to prepare for the flame-brain's return."

And prepare they did. The day after Laxus found Lucy stunned behind the bar, both blondes dove straight into getting everything ready for Natsu's homecoming. Cana had predicted that he would arrive in five days, so it had been all hands on deck in order to plan a party worthy of Fairy Tail's reputation. Large quantities of booze had been ordered, along with extra orders of spices, fish, and cake. Max volunteered to sweep the floors, while Juvia and Grey washed the tables and stage. It had taken a full day for Mira, Lucy, and Kinanna to wash the shatter-proof dishes that had been specially ordered in light of the festivities. Even Gajeel had been persuaded into helping move furniture under Levy's scrutinizing watch. And Laxus? He locked himself away in his office, communicating with Mest to guarantee that Fairy Tail was in good graces with the Magic Counsel before the fire dragon slayer had any chance to do catastrophic damage.

Most of the guild members were looking forward to the return of Fairy Tail's flaming idiot, for they had missed the determined spirit of the dragon slayer. Lucy, Grey, and Erza – however – were more reserved about their cheer. Natsu's sudden departure was the first loss that had broken up their team, and that loss was still felt deeply between all its members. When Grey and Erza had returned to Fairy Tail, it had been an unspoken fact between the three former teammates that it was impossible for them to return to the team that had existed before Fairy Tail had disbanded. Sure, all three of them took missions together every now and then, but time and training had changed all of them. There was no telling if the time spent apart would change Natsu's perception of the team.

Lucy had spent the five days practicing what she might say to her former partner when he returned. "So you abandoned me when I needed someone the most and I still kinda hate you for that but I guess I should say welcome back" definitely was taken off the list for possible greetings. Laxus' suggestion of "You're a selfish, lazy, hot-headed idiot. I hope you stop destroying things and you can come back to Fairy Tail if you must" was still a front-runner, but probably should stay between herself and her boyfriend.

With a sigh, Lucy sunk deeper into the chair that she had claimed in Laxus' office. "Maybe I'll just send Gemini down with instructions to welcome him back and then vanish," she grumbled out loud. She knew she had to welcome him home, and part of her was happy that the last Fairy was finally coming back. But part of her was still hurt by his betrayal and wanted to avoid him, curse him, or bawl in front of him. Lucy's thoughts were interrupted by a low growl from her stomach, and with a quick check of the clock she realized that she hadn't eaten all morning. She stood, left the quiet serenity of the office, and made her way down the stairs to the main floor. The guild was abuzz with conversations among the regular lunch crowd, and Cana had taken up her normal position at the bar. The guild had truly been transformed into it's former home-y feel, after almost three years of work. Lucy chuckled as she remembered the awkward echoes that had haunted the guild hall when there were only a few returning members to occupy it's massive rooms.

"What'll it be today, Lucy?" Mira asked when the blonde mage finally made her way to the bar.

"I'll take some of the garlic and butter pasta, with some shrimp if you have it. Oh – and a glass of water please!" she ordered.

Lucy made small talk with Cana for a few minutes while she waited for Mira to make her order. As Lucy caught the plate that was slid across the bar, she heard Cana start. "Ya know, my cards are telling me…"

Lucy frowned as the card mage's voice trailed off. "Told you what?" When Cana didn't reply and actually lowered her current beverage of choice, she followed her friend's gaze.

The guild had gone eerily quiet once again and Lucy squinted at the sudden brightness as natural sunlight flooded the hall through the open front doors. As her vision cleared, the first thing she saw was a familiar shade of pink hair and a fluttering white scarf. Lucy's eyes widened at the realization that five days had passed since that article had been published in Sorcerers Weekly.

Natsu had finally returned.

After a minute of silence, the guild erupted into a undistinguishable cheer and Fairy Tail engulfed it's beloved fire dragon slayer in a series of hugs, handshakes, and slaps on the back. Lucy stood frozen in place by the bar, hand still clasped around her plate of pasta. Her mind screamed that she should rush forward and join the crowd welcoming Natsu back home, but the rest of her body wasn't ready to move from it's safe spot against the bar.

"Let the rest of the guild welcome him back. You don't have to be the first one to welcome him back," Laxus whispered. For the second time in a week, the lightning dragon slayer had managed to sneak up on her. She of course attributed that to the shock from seeing her old partner and in the back of her mind resolved to even that score as soon as things settled down. But for now she grasped the hand that he had placed over hers and held it tightly.

"But I still need to welcome him back," Lucy whispered softly.

Laxus looked down at his girlfriend. "You still got those prepared speeches that you were practicing at home? Because I might steal a few of those lines when I have to address him as guildmaster."

She shook her head. All of the things that she had practiced had escaped her head in the rush of emotions that were buzzing around her mind. Not one single sentence formed in her head as she watched Levy and Wendy hug the fire dragon slayer. The noise level of the guild started to steadily increase as Happy – whom Lucy had completely missed walking next to Natsu – bragged about how much Natsu had trained and the slayer in question was trying to elicit training battles against Gajeel, Erza, and Grey. All of whom, upon the request of Laxus and Lucy, had quickly declined.

Finally, the majority of the crowd had returned to their lunches and Natsu was able to make direct eye contact with his former partner. A sheepish grin spread upon his face, and he started to make his way towards the bar.

"Lucy! We missed you so much!" Happy cried. The exceed attempted to fly straight into Lucy's chest, only to be stopped by Pantherlily and Charle who had taken it upon themselves to protect the Celestial Mage.

"Oh, uh, hey Lucy," Natsu said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "Long time no see?"

Lucy blinked as she processed his greeting. She could hear Laxus bark a sharp laugh in disbelief at Natsu's casual greeting, but she squeezed his hand to prevent him from shocking the slayer. "That's all you got to say, flame-brain?" He pressed.

"I mean, what else do you say to the partner you haven't seen in a while?" Natsu shrugged.

Laxus was about to make another sharp remark until he was interrupted by Lucy's quiet voice. "Long time no see."

"I gotta say, Luce, you did a pretty good job of getting this place back together. Thanks for taking care of everything," Natsu complimented as he looked around the guild hall.

Lucy nodded numbly in thanks. She didn't know how, but she managed to put a small smile on her face in an attempt to welcome back the mage who had brought her to this home. Before any more words could be traded between the former partners, Natsu was dragged away by Cana and Macao into the beginnings of what was likely to be the rowdiest party of the year.

"Honestly. That idiot thinks that a grin and a few words can cover for just leaving you behind to take care of the guild? I'm sorry Lucy, but I might have to break my promise that I won't attack him if he behaves that way for the rest of the night," Laxus grunted.

Deep down, Lucy knew that nothing would really make up for what had occurred between the two of them. She had always secretly known that fact, but she had so wanted to welcome him back with open arms like she had for the rest of the members of Fairy Tail. She wasn't ready for that to happen, but time had allowed her to move past the hurt and loneliness that had consumed her when he had first left her behind.

Lucy allowed Laxus wrap his arm around her shoulders and pull her closer to his chest. While watching Natsu reacquaint himself with the guild and its members, she found herself finally able to speak. "I may not be ready to talk to him and welcome him home," she said without taking her eyes off of the fire dragon slayer, "but I can keep working to make sure that Fairy Tail will always be a home for him to return to. And that's all that matters."

 *****Well, because I wasn't able to knock together any sort of** ** _Chained Dragon_** **chapter, my beta strongarmed me into finishing this. It's actually 100% her work, and she deserves lots and lots of thanks for doing this because Natsu and I don't go well together. But that's it, we're done, and everyone's home.*****


End file.
